


kitten!Harry

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-23
Updated: 2013-02-23
Packaged: 2017-12-03 09:01:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/696569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Zayn suggests Louis adopts a hybrid for companionship Louis heads down to the shelter, not expecting to take a kitten home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	kitten!Harry

Louis is visiting the shelter.

He’s been lonely since he moved to London, spending most of his time around his friend Zayn’s house. He’d been sat on the floor playing with Zayn’s Hybrid, Niall, scratching behind his ears and throwing a little mouse toy for him to pounce on when Zayn suggested he visit the shelter and adopt a Hybrid himself for companionship.

That’s how Louis finds himself at London’s Shelter for Abandoned Hybrids early on a Saturday morning.

The bell above the door jingles as he walks into a seemingly abandoned reception. He steps up to the counter and leans over a little, peering into the office on the left.

“Hello?” He calls.

A head pops around the corner; it’s a young girl who looks to be in her late teens.

“Hey, one second.” She disappears from view before stepping out and offering her hand to Louis. Louis shakes her hand and smiles a little; she seems pleasant. “Hi I’m Lacy, what can I help you with?”

“I’m Louis. I was thinking about adopting? I’m not sure though.”

The girl positively beams.

“How about I show you around to help you make up your mind? No pressure to adopt.”

Louis smiles.

“That’s great, thanks.”

She motions for Louis to follow her as she leads him through the only other door, starting to reel off statistics about how many Hybrids are abandoned and how many the shelter currently has in as they head down a corridor. 

Before she pushes open another door she says “it gets a bit noisy.” 

Louis can already hear muffled meowing but when she pushes the door open it gets a lot louder. 

He’s is momentarily stunned into silence as he takes in the scene. It looks like a prison with rows upon rows of jail-cell style holding pens, three or four Hybrids in each. 

“I um…”

“It’s a bit overwhelming isn’t it?” Lacy mutters quietly. 

“Yeah.”

She starts to lead him down the first row, some of the Hybrids coming towards the bars to investigate the new person, peering up hopefully, wanting to be taken home. Louis feels guilty walking past them. At the end there’s a pen with just one in. He has dark, curly hair with sleek brown ears sticking out of the top, twitching at the noise and a very beautiful face, full pink lips parted as he mewls quietly. His tongue darts out, rough and textured and Louis tries to avert his thoughts. His tail lashes from side to side as his claws scrape the concrete. That’s when Louis notices that his eyes are different, cloudy, and that he’s crawling a little clumsily. 

He’s blind.

Louis crouches down, fitting his fingers through the bars. “C’mere kitty.” He coos.

Lacy kneels next to Louis as the Hybrid crawls toward them, looking a little confused. “Keep talking.” Lacy whispers. “He’ll be able to figure out where you are by smell but talking helps.”

“Here kitty kitty. You’re a very pretty kitty, come here darling.” 

The kitten eventually reaches the bars and Louis gets his hand through to stroke at the Hybrid’s hair. When he reaches out and touches him the kitten stumbles back, looking nervous and scared. 

“This is Harry. He’s been here over a year; we’re having trouble trying to find someone to adopt him because he’s blind so he’s a lot of work to take care of.” The kitten’s head hangs low a little, distinctly upset. “Harry darling-“ she addresses the Hybrid, “Louis isn’t going to hurt you; he just wants to pet you.” 

Harry sniffs the air and ambles forward a little pressing into Louis’ palm. Louis strokes his curls, scratching his ear that twitches with the touch. Harry meows quietly, tipping his head towards Louis and his fingers that scratch just right. 

“He’s really timid. He came from an abusive home.” 

Louis frowns. He doesn’t understand how anyone could hurt this beautiful creature. Harry purrs softly and Louis finds himself saying “I’ll take him.” 

Lacy smiles. 

*~*~*~*

It’s a week, a home visit, a class on how to look after a Hybrid, a lot of paperwork and purchases later before Louis is heading back down to the shelter to pick up Harry. 

He’d visited him twice in the week and spent an hour or so in a play pen, fussing Harry and telling him all about what his new life is going to be like, trying to get Harry acclimatized to him before he takes him home. 

The bell jingles and Lacy comes out of the office, smiling at him. 

“Hey Louis! Harry’s really excited to go; you ready?”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to take him home.” 

“I’ll go fetch him for you.” 

She brings Harry out with a lead and collar clipped on. He crawls really cautiously, feeling around first with his hand, claws clicking against the floor as his tail lashes restlessly. He sniffs, smells Louis and rushes forward towards him. Lacy hands him the lead.

Louis crouches down. “Hey you.”

Harry smiles even though his head is angled a little in the wrong direction. He crawls closer, further towards Louis until they’re face to face. Louis strokes his hair and runs a thumb across his cheekbone. Harry flinches a little at the contact, an instinct as a result of being hurt in the past, but he soon relaxes into it.

“Let’s get you home.”

Harry meows and turns around back towards Lacy. Louis pauses, confused as Harry crawls back over and paws at her feet. Lacy crouches down.

“What’s wrong Harry?” 

Harry meows and nuzzles into her cheek, licking her once. It’s a thank you and a goodbye. 

Lacy tears up a little. 

“I’m gonna miss you Harry.” Harry licks her once more and crawls back over to Louis. “Makes sure you come say hello every once in a while.” 

Louis smiles a soft smile. “Of course.” 

*~*~*~*

Louis makes himself some tea and watches television while Harry spends a good hour crawling around his apartment, starting to slowly create a mental map of where everything is. He’s watching re-runs of Doctor Who when he hears a thud and a quiet whine from down the hall. 

Louis is up and heading toward the sound instantly. He finds Harry sat in the middle of the bedroom, looking dazed and confused, milky eyes not looking at anything as his hand presses against his head, a few tears sliding down his cheeks. 

“Hey darling what’ve you done?” 

Louis kneels in front of the kitten, gently prying his hand away from his head. Out of reflex at the contact Harry tries to pull his hand away, his claws catching on Louis’ hand. Louis yelps and Harry seems to freeze on the spot, every muscle in his body pulling taught in fear. 

It only takes a few seconds for Louis to put two-and-two together and realize that Harry thinks Louis is going to hurt him. 

He only has a scratch on his hand from where Harry’s claw had caught him but Harry has a cut and bruise forming on his forehead. Louis thinks he must have hit his head off the corner of the nightstand. 

“Harry it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I’ll never ever hurt you; I promise.”

Louis stays totally still and Harry is wound tight, anticipating a blow. When Louis even shifts his weight slightly Harry flinches, ears twitching restlessly. 

“Harry.” Louis whispers. 

Harry crawls forward cautiously, toward Louis and Louis stays still like Lacy had told him to, lets Harry come to him. 

When the kitten gets close to Louis he crawls right up into his lap, wraps his arms around Louis’ neck, tucks his face into his shoulder and cries. 

It’s a horrible thing to hear Harry cry, Louis decides instantly.

*~*~*~*

It takes a few days for Harry to settle in and he gets a few bumps and bruises while he’s still learning where everything is. 

Harry is curled up on the floor, lapping at a bowl full of milk, Louis’ arm dangling off the side of the sofa as he absently scratches at the back of Harry’s neck. There’s the noise of keys in the lock, meaning only one thing. The door swings open and Niall darts in, quickly followed by Zayn. 

Harry jumps, startled as soon as Niall all but pounces as he starts sniffing around him but he quickly relaxes when he realizes that it’s another kitten. 

“Niall be careful, he can’t see.” Zayn warns. 

Harry tenses at the unfamiliar voice, ears flattening against his head. Louis rubs at the back of his neck gently.

“It’s okay sweetheart. He’s not gonna hurt you.” Zayn steps closer and Harry hisses, lips pulling back over his sharp teeth, tail lashing restlessly. “Harry stop that!”

Zayn looks confused at Harry’s instant distaste to him. 

“Hey I’m not gonna hurt you.” Zayn says, reaching out.

Harry is gone in a flash. He bolts from the room, surprisingly not hitting anything on his way out. Niall follows him instantly leaving Zayn confused and wondering what he’d done. 

The first thing Louis does is call Lacy down at the shelter and explain what’s happened. She tells him that Harry relies mainly on scent now to identify people and Zayn’s scent must have reminded Harry of a bad experience he’s had. She tells him to give him a while to calm down and then go find him.  
Zayn makes tea while Louis goes in search of the kittens. 

He finds them in the bathroom, Niall wrapped protectively around Harry who has another bruise on his forehead, tears falling slowly from his blank eyes. Niall’s lapping at Harry’s cheek, comforting the hurt kitten. 

“Harry sweetheart what’ve you done now?” Louis murmurs. Harry looks in his general direction, mewling quietly. “Niall go to Zayn; I’ll take care of Harry.”

Niall licks Harry’s cheek once more before crawling off in search of his owner. 

Louis gets a washcloth and runs it under the cold water, wringing it out before crouching down in front of his sightless kitten. He holds Harry’s face gently with one hand, smiling slightly when Harry doesn’t flinch, and presses the washcloth gently to the new bruise. 

“What am I gonna do with you ay?” Louis murmurs.

Harry meows quietly, eyes downcast. Louis thumbs the tears off his cheek. 

“Got so many bumps and bruises.” 

Harry shifts towards Louis, sort of crawling up into his lap. Louis strokes his hair, scratching behind the kitten’s ears. Harry clumsily tries to nuzzle his nose against Louis’ cheek but he misses completely and his lips brush Louis’. They both freeze, Louis’ fingers still tangled in Harry’s curls, breath hot on each other’s lips. A few seconds pass unbearably slowly before Harry’s tongue darts out and he licks Louis’ lips. 

The tension melts away and Louis huffs out a laugh, holding Harry closer. 

“Let me show you how you do it.” 

Louis holds Harry’s face gently and slots their lips together, kissing him slow. Harry doesn’t quite get the hang of it but it’s cute and he starts purring and Louis has to break the kiss when he smiles.

Getting Harry was one of his best decisions.


End file.
